SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/10/2022 9:31 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-4 “The Peril”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew
18:6-7
Message of the verses: “6 but whoever causes
one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it is better for him
that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the
depth of the sea.
7 "Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it
is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the
stumbling block comes!
We have been looking at ways in which a person (believer
or nonbeliever) can cause others to stumble into sin. A husband can cause his wife to sin by
suggesting that they “cheat” on their income taxes. This would be a double sin
as both are involved in it. Stretching
the expense account and telling others how to do it would be sinful.
MacArthur writes “Those examples and
many more would qualify as ways of leading a child of God to sin. It is amazing how reluctant we are to expose
our physical children to evil and how eager we are to protect them. But frequently we are not as eager to protect
all other children in the Lord’s family.”
Paul writes in Ephesians 6:4 “Do not
provoke your children to anger” and this can be another way that a parent can
cause a child to sin. It is a difficult
task in raising children and the Bible has much to say about it, and if it is
tough for Christians to raise their children it is much tougher for non
believers to raise their children as they are not familiar with the way that
can get the help they need through the Bible and also belonging to a church
that preaches the gospel where they will find help from other believers.
MacArthur writes “A third manner of
causing God’s children to stumble is through sinful example. Without having a word said to them, believers
can be led into sinful attitudes and practices simply by following the bad
example of others. Here again parents
need to be on guard, because they are continually setting examples, both good
and bad, for their children to follow.”
In his sermon and in his commentary
MacArthur tells the story of an alcoholic father who went out of his house one
snowy evening to get a drink and his six year old son was following in his
footsteps. The father turned around and
asked his son where he was going and the son told him that he was following in
his footsteps. The man turned around and
went home and began to weep. Later on he
became a believer and never drank again.
Paul exhorted Timothy in a letter he
wrote to him that is found in the Word of God.
Timothy became the Pastor at Ephesus and so Paul was writing to him
about that and other matters. “In
speech, conduct, love, faith and purity “he was to show himself “an example of
those who believe” (1Timothy 4:12). All
church leaders are examples to others in the church and so they are to conduct
themselves in living a life that pleases the Lord.
I want to start tomorrows SD by
looking at what Paul wrote about eating meat that came from an idol’s “butcher
shop.”
12/10/2022 9:53
AM
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